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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Yeah, I'm without words.
"It's not easy being a teen," I, a teen, said before I read this book. Welp, after reading this book, at least I can feel glad that it's illegal for my parents to decide they don't want me and ship me off to a shady HARVEST CAMP where I'm taken apart and all my parts are given to other humans like flippin' MR. POTATO HEAD. Yep, I'm safe from that, and that could never ever happen. RIGHT?!
My friend and I were walking to the school bus and she was like "Dude you should totally read this book, it's about these teens who are gonna be sent to get Unwound, which basically means they're gonna get taken apart and their organs are gonna be used in other people's bodies. And this happens to them because their parents decided they don't want them." Yeah. I was creeped out just by the summary, and I was a little aprehensive about reading it because I don't tend to do well with haunting books like that. But I read it! And yes, I had nightmares. Yes, I got nauseous (though whether that was from the plane I was riding while reading or the actually content, I don't know.) But there was also some amazing messages within these pages. And, if you want your world turned upside down, I'd definitely recommend it.
One thing that keeps me from giving it five stars, other than how creepy it was of course, was that some stuff just wasn't revealed when I wanted it to be, and for me this caused me confusion. So just a mini crash course for anyone interested. So let's use myself for an example. I'm blind. If I lived in this future, with these laws, I could decide, "Hey, I don't want to be blind anymore, I'm gonna pay a lot of money to get eye transplants from some rando unwanted teen that got Unwound." If I was rich enough, I could get some eyes that had twenty-twenty vision. Or if I didn't have enough money, maybe I'd still have sighted eyes but would have to wear prescription glasses. But here's the part that really rattled me. The body parts of the teen are still theoretically alive, and so they still have their personalities. So, to use an example from the book, if a magician who was very good at slight-of-hand were Unwound, whoever got their hand would also be very good at card trics. Does the author ever explain how this could possibly work scientifically? Noooo, but I was never really very good at science so I'm gonna let it slide. I'm really not good at forming what I want to say into something readable and prolific, but as much as this future terrified me, as much as I wanted to put the book down because of how much it shook me up, I think there was just such a beautiful message within it. Teens, or even adults for that matter, can often feel like they aren't wanted. Like they don't have a place in the world. I think the thing everyone wants most is to be loved, to be valued, to be told everything will be okay, and to have their voice heard. In some backwards way, Shusterman made me see, when reading this book, that everyone has a story. Everyone deserves a piece of happiness in this big, scary world. And to me it felt like a warning, like a call to action. And a call to do what, I'm not exactly sure. It just made me feel like I actually wasn't alone. And it made me realize that no matter how ugly or difficult a story is to tell, it always deserves to be told. And I know that sounds sooo sappy and I'm probably going to look back and cringe at the way I phrased it, but I just... I was just blown away by everything this novel did for me. And I don't think I can ever find a book quite like it. The writing was so captivating, with all the different voices, all the different people who were so complex and sad and human, and I can't exactly explain why I can't bring myself to give it five stars. Maybe because I don't want to group it into any kind of rating. It just feels too special, too multi-layered. I hated it and loved it at once, but I think it's one of the most impactful books I'll ever read. So I'm sure I'll come back and change the rating once I've given my brain time to digest everything and I can actually sort through (or, UNWIDD, rather) my tangle of emotions. But I will close in recommending it. If you read it, I hope it hits you the way it hit me, and I also hope that if you write a review, it's more coherent than mine. Peace out, Goodreads friends. And remember, you're not alone.
"It's not easy being a teen," I, a teen, said before I read this book. Welp, after reading this book, at least I can feel glad that it's illegal for my parents to decide they don't want me and ship me off to a shady HARVEST CAMP where I'm taken apart and all my parts are given to other humans like flippin' MR. POTATO HEAD. Yep, I'm safe from that, and that could never ever happen. RIGHT?!
My friend and I were walking to the school bus and she was like "Dude you should totally read this book, it's about these teens who are gonna be sent to get Unwound, which basically means they're gonna get taken apart and their organs are gonna be used in other people's bodies. And this happens to them because their parents decided they don't want them." Yeah. I was creeped out just by the summary, and I was a little aprehensive about reading it because I don't tend to do well with haunting books like that. But I read it! And yes, I had nightmares. Yes, I got nauseous (though whether that was from the plane I was riding while reading or the actually content, I don't know.) But there was also some amazing messages within these pages. And, if you want your world turned upside down, I'd definitely recommend it.
One thing that keeps me from giving it five stars, other than how creepy it was of course, was that some stuff just wasn't revealed when I wanted it to be, and for me this caused me confusion. So just a mini crash course for anyone interested. So let's use myself for an example. I'm blind. If I lived in this future, with these laws, I could decide, "Hey, I don't want to be blind anymore, I'm gonna pay a lot of money to get eye transplants from some rando unwanted teen that got Unwound." If I was rich enough, I could get some eyes that had twenty-twenty vision. Or if I didn't have enough money, maybe I'd still have sighted eyes but would have to wear prescription glasses. But here's the part that really rattled me. The body parts of the teen are still theoretically alive, and so they still have their personalities. So, to use an example from the book, if a magician who was very good at slight-of-hand were Unwound, whoever got their hand would also be very good at card trics. Does the author ever explain how this could possibly work scientifically? Noooo, but I was never really very good at science so I'm gonna let it slide. I'm really not good at forming what I want to say into something readable and prolific, but as much as this future terrified me, as much as I wanted to put the book down because of how much it shook me up, I think there was just such a beautiful message within it. Teens, or even adults for that matter, can often feel like they aren't wanted. Like they don't have a place in the world. I think the thing everyone wants most is to be loved, to be valued, to be told everything will be okay, and to have their voice heard. In some backwards way, Shusterman made me see, when reading this book, that everyone has a story. Everyone deserves a piece of happiness in this big, scary world. And to me it felt like a warning, like a call to action. And a call to do what, I'm not exactly sure. It just made me feel like I actually wasn't alone. And it made me realize that no matter how ugly or difficult a story is to tell, it always deserves to be told. And I know that sounds sooo sappy and I'm probably going to look back and cringe at the way I phrased it, but I just... I was just blown away by everything this novel did for me. And I don't think I can ever find a book quite like it. The writing was so captivating, with all the different voices, all the different people who were so complex and sad and human, and I can't exactly explain why I can't bring myself to give it five stars. Maybe because I don't want to group it into any kind of rating. It just feels too special, too multi-layered. I hated it and loved it at once, but I think it's one of the most impactful books I'll ever read. So I'm sure I'll come back and change the rating once I've given my brain time to digest everything and I can actually sort through (or, UNWIDD, rather) my tangle of emotions. But I will close in recommending it. If you read it, I hope it hits you the way it hit me, and I also hope that if you write a review, it's more coherent than mine. Peace out, Goodreads friends. And remember, you're not alone.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read this for class and was not expecting one of the most horrifying chapters of literature I’ve read in my life thus far
This was kinda creepy and we don't see eye to eye on everything, but it was good.
Wow. Shusterman exceeds limits. This book is mortifying, suspenseful, scary, horrific, and lots of teen drama and angst too. This book is so messed up. I'm definitely reading the next one.
I liked it!!! the writing was decent but the plot was extremely interesting the entire book. loved the concept.. read fine as a stand alone but ill probably check out the others in the series. do recommend!
I really gave it chance. I did. But it just wasn't for me. I didn't find the idea or the world interesting of any sorts, and really couldn't care much about the characters. I'm really disappointed because I thought it was going to be as good as 'Scythe' but apparently that's like the only good novel that I've read from him. I'm not planning to finish this series because I cant bring myself to because of how boring it was. I also found that the most interesting parts, were the romance ones. And there wasn't that much to start with. It's really hard to find dystopian books nowadays and this did not live to any of the expectations I have for dystopian books. Really disappointed with the book in its whole.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced